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Ethical Living Serieselpt
Ken Wilber and Roger Walsh
Integral Institute was recently honored to host its very own Roger Walsh for an exquisite, deeply revealing talk on Ethics. As an opening act, Roger was joined by Ken Wilber, his colleague and dear friend, who delivered the graceful introduction, Ethics & Enlightenment. This wonderful talk by Ken is truly a gift, very pertinent, and we hope just as fun!
Here's a zinger: "Ethics won't get you Enlightened. But without Ethics you will not get Enlightened." Want to know why?
Zen Teacher Richard Baker Roshi has a wonderful saying, "Enlightenment is an accident, meditation makes us accident prone." How might Ethics also make us prone to the "accident" of Enlightenment?
The happy dream of Samsara: feeling good by doing good. The Nightmare: hurting ourselves by hurting others. It's our choice....
It seems as long as we're human, we're bound to screw up. But what distinguishes the way a wise person responds to their mistakes from the response of an unwise person? There lies the difference between guilt and regret—which informs a wise persons actions.....
If ethics is so important, than why do we screw up so much? As Roger explains, behaviors tend to reinforce the states of mind which power them.
As a result of Ken and Roger's discussion on ethics, one of the audience members expresses her feelings of anxiety and asks for a practice, to which Ken recommends Tonglen meditation.
Interacting with your friends, coworkers and loved ones while on a spiritual path can be tricky, sometimes seemingly torturous. The dance requires a balance of skills Roger says take a lifetime to learn and a community to build.
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